UVA beats out Hokies, Penn State for Chesapeake CB Covil

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Virginia beat out rival Virginia Tech for its first commitment from the 757 since 2014 on Sunday, when cornerback Jayden Covil announced that he will become a Cavalier.

Covil (5-foot-10, 165 pounds) is a 3-star from Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake. He is UVA’s third in-state commitment and the first from the 757 since Andrew Brown, also from Oscar Smith, 11 years ago.

Covil’s decision came down to UVA, Virginia Tech (where his older brother, Sherrod, is a defensive back), UConn and Wake Forest. He also had offers from Penn State, Ole Miss, Pitt, Duke, ECU, JMU, ODU, Marshall, Liberty and Delaware.

His brother started his career at Clemson when UVA coach Tony Elliott was the offensive coordinator.

Covil visited Virginia Tech on June 20, two weeks after his official visit to Charlottesville.

He is rated the No. 22 overall recruit in the state by On3 and No. 24 by 247Sports.

Covil boosts Virginia’s recruiting class of 2026 to 10 members. With his addition, UVA’s class moved to No. 78 nationally by 247 and No. 79 by On3, along with No. 16 in the 17-team ACC.